Auto burglar alarm



A118'- 25, 1953 J. M. JolNER, .1R 2,650,354

AUTO BURGLAR ALARM Filed Nov. 17. 1950 DOME L /GHT Patented Aug. 25, 1953 statua auteur :irnfention':relates;- tos annialarms:dervieesftm` autontwloilesu4 Amobectizof thea=inv-ention fisuthef-puoyisiontof arrialarm dei/:icerfor an autonimbilerforidiscourageingi; tampering:v with* the@A aut@mobilef lcy':` uni-,- authorizedtxpersonsi Anotheusobject` is thle provision/rot: au@A tomobileualarmldeyicefaof `such simple characterzr thatsiirtrequiresuonly:fa dook :switchand ai= .small;i amount of Wiring ferr conneotom with1 instru--A mentalitiesrthat; ares customarilyz supplied with;v a'xrlautomohile as standard ifeaturesf.;

Still-ffv another?g obect is; the:I provision of auf; alarme` device whicluinuol/ esf an `electricn1 circuit;

' theeautomobiefhorn arrdvi'fhefcustom:`

aryrla witchxoperated by; the automobile door; arman-geekv wher-r1 the;A systeme. isf;y setl.;J in operatives condition, to sound the horn and therebyffcausef an; tala-rmi: when fthel door is ropned; unauthorizedaperson;

Soeocally;,thee-alarmfdeivice jinvolueswzm elenaA tric circuit. thatincludesffthe'ifbattery, harina-ndi;` door-operate@ light;-.suzitehy all` customarily 'supe plied` uli-tirv anr'automebile aa standardfzfeatures;= togetherf with-.f a1 keyroontrolledi.' lochi switch. adapted ltos; be; `prosit'roneda-4 for access: frena` thea exteriorr of 1 the,- atttomobile; ther. arran-gement-l being; such thatt thez au-tomolzailel. owner-- can :f set thelocksswitohcwhereby the eventt amA 1111,-,-v authoruefdl-person ,succeeds Timouenirlg; thefdooli the. horn ,isssoundedi and .-arlA Yalarm:therelo'yi- D IOfduced l Otherobjects; will be apparentfromtheffolffn lowingfdoscriptiomtaken in conjunction-with theyl accompanying drawing, infWh-ichz Y Figure. 1, `is i a representation of-.,. aaportion f of thorn requires considerablegamperage and afoorfrespondinglyifheavyy:Wiren and for thatv reason@ arelayn-swi-toh param/'fiolediv infitlret lrorn-tcirouit'or, operatiombzf rorn;. sWi-tohfm a?separateffc'rcuit A that isgnot requiredtto to arryythe heavttfamperage '1 necessary foufoperatingtheehorn:

standar-(thorns todasg'arevprovidea-,xuith-usuch" relay? Siti hg embodied: structurally., thereim; thev diagrams-lof 2: illustrates the relay` switch spatially separated from the horn for theusalew otra simpled iagraz-rrsalthougtu` it.- isitoL-be amtiersteedthattharelay switchtis hysicallyfembodied inl-the: structure,- otthef-horrr, in.V commonr .pracf tice; Theroircuitzforioppratngthe hormis repref telas-,the maimoirouit. rrhis circuit includes the horn, battery, and relay switch I5 above referred.

ca operated mwa relativi rinoludingan armature 2.a; and'. a ceil-Wimlingfl 22.. Uponappropriate. actuation of.. the relayd l 8,. the swtch l 5 is .o1osed closing the;r circuiti M andlsoundina tlfiehorn` 'Iihesstanclardfmeanasupplied, in automobiles for: sounding, the horn includes: ahorn switch and.. what. is herein` referred:- tu. as, horn cirouit'.including wire, 24..,connectedat one end to 35' battery; I 2.,through, a wireofthe, main oir- Winding liwhich isfproyid'eld 'WitlLr-hindingposts for. thefpurppse Thaopppsitend' ofgthe Wind.` ingrii? ,-iswcormetetllthrougli Wire 25 janrla .Wire oil main ,circuitA l. tty ,tlfie opposite, side of the'- battery.,. The horn ,circuit 'noluriesa .,mariuallf,T operable.switchi28.actuated;by` a horn button; andluppn losngtleswitoh Ztherelay; tais en, ergizerl which in turn, closes thelswitoh ,tethere-n by closingjha main, circuit' and sounding' the horn`- Thefprovi'sion ol'fth'e relayjswitch` i6 enV- ables. thellorn'zcircuit' Zlfto be made up :of AWires that needmot jbe heavy `enough to; carry theV requireol'., amperage for operation' oithehorn;

Automobiles today are also usually proyidedf with,a. iome` light` or-oth'eu interior light Such lighttis. dagrammatieally. represented ati 3c', in afseoondar-ys circuit Whiehtncludeswres Saloonneotedtaerosathe batteri/gf l-2 attr-any, convenient locations such as certaimpeiuts-onithe .maincirr ing commonly called a courtesy switch operated by the automobile door. The switch 34 may take any convenient structural form, Fig. 3 showing one form, but other types can be employed. In Fig. 3 the switch 34 is represented as mounted in the interior of the structure of the wall 35 of the automobile body. No attempt has been made to show details of the structure of the wall. The switch 34 includes a flexible, electrically conn ductive switch blade 36 anchored at one end on l a wall element and having on its extended end a contact member 38 engageable with a cooperating stationary contact member 40 mounted'on the wall element. The switch blade 36 is normally self-biased to switch-closed position (toward the right as Viewed in Fig. 3) and adapted to be moved to switch-open position in response to force applied thereto. A plunger 42 slidably mounted in an aperture in thewall element is arranged to engage at its inner end with the switch blade 36 and with its outer end in position to be engaged by the adjacent surface of the automobile door 44 upon closing of the latter. The door 44 is hinged as 'atv 46 to the car body. When the door is opened, the switch blade is selfbiased to closed position, bringing the contacts 38 and 4i) into engagement and moving the plunger 42 to the extended position shown. When the door is closed, it forces the plunger 42 inwardly, which in turn forces the switch blade 35 inwardly and opens the switch, opening the secondary circuit. Fig. 3 also illustrates conventionally how the wires 32 are connected in the switch 34. From theabove it will be seen that when the door 44 is open, the interior light 3U is lighted.

The above items are provided with an automobile as standard features and the device which, according to the present invention, is to be added to the above for forming the alarm device consists of merely the key-operated lock switch represented in Fig. 4 and a small amount of wiring.

The key-operated lock switch may be of any known form, so long as it performs the inherent functions now to be described. One form of switch construction is shown atV 48 in Fig. 4, the switch having a body 58 provided with rotatable cylinder 52 therein having tumblers or other locking means controlled by a key such as 54. Upon insertion of the key into the cylinder of the lock, the cylinder can be rotated to either of two positions and remain locked upon removal ofthe key. On the inner end of the cylinder 52 is a Vdiametrically extending switch blade 56 appropriately insulated from the cylinder and other elements of the lock. The outer ends of the switch blade 56 are adapted in one position to engage respective switch contacts 58 insulated from the elements of the lock, and in the other of the positions the switch blade is moved out of engagement with the switch contacts, thereby respectively closing and opening the switch proper which for convenience is indicated as a whole at 60. Theswitch' is also included in the circuit diagram of Fig. 2 in what is herein referred to as an auxiliary circuit B2 made up of wires 64. One wire 64 is connected to a wire of the secondary circuit i32 and the other wire is connected to the coil winding 22 in parallel'with the horn circuit 24. The switch 60 Visfthereiore in series with the door switch 34;

Fig. 1. The lock switch 48 includes mountingV lugs 86 for securing it to the body of the automobile. A convenient location for the lock switch is as represented in Fig. 1, namely, located under the hood or cowl with the end having the key slot exposed through an opening therein, e. g., through the parting line betweenthe hood and adjacent element, so that the owner can insert Ythe key into the lockv from the exterior of the automobile.

If desired, the key controlled lock switch ,46 may be designed for operation by the automobile ignition key for convenience to the owner in that a single key can be utilized for the ignition and the alarm device.

In normal use of the automobile the switch 68 is moved to open position which, of course, opens the auxiliary circuit 62 and normally the horn is not sounded from any source except by means of the horn switch 28. In order to set the alarm in condition for operation in the event an un-V authorized person attempts to enter the car, the key controlled lock switch is turned to position for closing the switch 68. When the door is closed, the switch 34 is open and of course the auxiliary circuit 62 is open because the switch 34 is in series with the auxiliary circuit 62. Then if the door 44 should be opened, such as by an unauthorzed person in the act of entering the car, the switch 34 closes, thereby closing the auxiliary circuit 62 which energizes the relay I8 closing the switch I6 and thereby sounding the horn. This acts as an alarm and discourages tampering with the automobile by unauthorized persons. Y

From the above it will be seen that an alarm device can be formed merely by the employment of the key-controlled lock switch 48 and a small amount of wiring for the auxiliary circuit 52. All of the remaining elements and instrumentalities referred to are supplied with the automobile as standard features. The wires 32 for the most part are ordinarily embedded in the ystructure of the car body, with a portion exposed for across thereto in a location such as the back side of the dash board. The wires 64 are merely connected respectively with the appropriate wire 32 at the exposed portion of the latter, and with the appropriate binding post of the winding 22 on the horn structure, as it will be remembered that the relay switch is physically embodied in the structure of the horn.

It is believed to be entirely new to establishY an alarm device by the mere provision and inclusion of such a simple element as the lock switch 48 and the small amount of wiring referred toA in circuit with standard instrumentalities supplied in an automobile.

yI claim:

l. An alarm device for use in` an automobile having a, door, a battery, a, horn, a main circuit including the battery and horn, a relay switch in said main circuit,.a horn circuit including a switch connected with said battery and relay switch for operating the horn, an interior light and secondary circuit including the battery and interior light, va door switch in said secondary circuit and including a pair of contacts normally biased together and separated in response to closing the door, said alarm device comprising a supplementary device including a key-controlled lock switch and wiring, said lock switch being adapted for positioning on the automobile for access from the exterior thereof and said wiring forming an auxiliary circuit, said auxiliary circuit being connected to the wires forming said secondary circuit for control by said door switch yand connected to said relay switch in parallel with said horn circuit, and said lock switch being interposed in said auxiliary circuit in series with said door switch.

2. An alarm device for use in an automobile having a door, comprising a battery, a horn, a main circuit including the battery and horn, a relay switch in said main circuit, a horn circuit, including a, switch, connected across said main circuit and including the battery and relay switch for operating the horn, a secondary circuit including said battery and a light to be operated by the battery and also including a door switch, said door switch being normally self-biased to closed position and adapted to be opened by the door when the latter is closed, and. an auxiliary circuit consisting solely of a key-controlled lock switch and wiring, said auxiliary circuit being connected to said secondary circuit and relay switch in an arrangement in which the lock yswitch, door switch, battery and relay switch are disposed in series, whereby when the lock switch and door switch are both closed the horn will be operated.

JOHN MAXWELL JOINER, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

